A Fateful Meeting
by AdamH312
Summary: Samantha Tellman or "Sam" is a bored but acerbic worker for the ruling Hydrox Corp on Galenta looking for a way to escape her stifling life. Curristan has been drawn to the planet after detecting a disturbance and deciding to investigate. Their lives will now collide and they will find that they are more than a match for one another.
1. Recognizing Changes

Leaning on the console Curristan stood deep in thought. He was still getting used to his new persona and body, with all the new eccentricities that he now had. He noticed that he seemed to have a more bubbly persona with puns seeming to be a favourite thing of his. He also seemed to have a new great liking about pies...which he found he had when he had eaten several different varieties and found it to be his new favourite food.

However he now felt aimless and unsure what to do. He had during the Time War been set a goal but now it was over and he had regenerated, the future was now more uncertain than ever for him. He knew that he would be in essence now like the Doctor, a renegade and wanderer and would be happy to be that.

He had a good feeling about his new incarnation. He felt the happiest he had been since his academy days, though he did miss the fact he could no longer go home and catch up with his friends. He also missed Romana, who was now somewhere out in the Universe probably making a new life. It was going to be a new challenge but one he was looking forward to.

Suddenly a sharp chirp from the console caught Curristan's attention. Checking the console readings he could see that there was a disturbance on a planet not too far from his current location. He could see that the planet was an industrial world with quite high pollution levels in the atmosphere. Also data that the planet was under corporate rule did make his mind prepare for a hostile reception.

_'Though it would never be as bad as facing Daleks'_ he mused.

Chuckling to himself, he input the co-ordinates of the world and set the TARDIS in motion.

Samantha was extremely stressed. Her life of twenty four years has been one of repetitive motions with constant shifts at the biggest conglomerate on Galenta. She had hoped that she would one day be able to travel and expand her horizons somewhat. However all she had to look forward in reality to was reports and more reports.

_'I hope one day someone can come and pluck me from this mess...oh well I suppose that one day things will change. Though fat chance that will happen...'_

Suddenly her supervisor stalked past which made her hurriedly continue the report she was working on. Her mood was pretty miserable and she still had an hour left for work to run. She was looking forward to getting a nice drink at the local bar, despite how high prices were these days.

In her mind she felt that life wasn't really what she had hoped. Hydrox Corp which pretty much ran the planet ruled with an iron fist. The rules and regulations which governed daily life was making her hate her existence.

However the ways to get off the planet were almost scarce, with permission needed from the planetary government to travel anywhere. Her chances of achieving that were extremely small as wages were not that much, covering just enough to get by. Also you needed to be a shareholder of the company to receive the preferential treatment, which was only a small fraction of the population.

The TARDIS materialised just a short distance away from Galenta. Looking on the console Curristan had a quick glance at the date.

_'Three Thousand and Thirty Six, Second Quarter. So quite a prosperous period in human history.'_

However when he activated the viewscreen Curristan suddenly wasn't so sure about that assessment. He could see that the world had a haze hanging over it, probably from the amount of damage the population had done to the planet. However it was definitely worth a look. Setting the controls to materialise on the surface, he prepared for what he could face when he arrived.


	2. Arrival on Galenta

The beep of the console signalled the TARDIS finally coming to a halt. Curristan had been busy making sure he had the up to date information for the planet, so he had no surprises. Galenta seemed to be under a strict corporate government which seemed to be for the last three hundred years or so, focused more on making profit than the welfare of the people and planet.

He knew that for some unknown reason there was a disturbance that seemed it wasn't the usual space junk or anomalies. A quick look through the data and Curristan furrowed his brow in worry.

"_These readings the TARDIS is picking up look definitely temporal in origin...that means there are probably time experiments going on down there. If so they need to be stopped or this part of space will disappear due to a temporal rift."_

Setting the TARDIS down in a secluded area of the capital city, he prepared to start tracking the source of these temporal traces.

–

Samantha meanwhile was now feeling elated that work was nearly over for the day. The reports she had been doing were finally completed, though she had been given more administration to do tomorrow thanks to the recent trade agreements made with nearby systems. It seemed the workload was never going to let up...

A loud klaxon suddenly split the air announcing the close of the day's work and the permission to finally leave. Getting up she gathered her bag and walked her way out of the building, stopping only to gaze up at the slowly darkening sky.

Turning to walk, it suddenly felt like she bumped into someone and heard behind her them stumble. _"Sorry! I hope I haven't hurt you."_.

–

Curristan suddenly felt a shove as someone came into him from the side. A sudden female

voice shouted an apology which he heard as he regained his balance. He spun round to face the woman and smiled.

"_Ah no need to worry I was in a world of my own too. I am Curristan by the way whats your name?"_

Smiling Samantha replied _"Samantha or Sam to my friends."_

"_Nice to meet you Sam. Where are you off to now?"_

"_Home, had a rough day."_

Curristan nodded in understanding. "Ah my sympathies, you enjoy your rest. Nice to have met you, have a nice evening!"

"_Thank you. Nice to meet you too!"_

Sam began walking away with a much better feeling. That interaction had just somehow changed her mood from sad to feeling upbeat. This evening may not turn out so bad after all. Though it could be improved though. Chocolate is always a good mood booster too.

–

Curristan watched her walk away looking much better. He was glad he had engineered that meeting, he saw that he had made a positive impact. Now he hoped he could do that for this world too,


	3. A Corporate Investigation

Returning to the TARDIS Curristan realised that the woman he just met could be a good person to help him get used to the planet. He could see though that behind her kindness lay a sense of sadness and regret brought on by her work. The planet seemed to be bowed under the power of the corporation she served. He would need to find out what was going on.

Setting the TARDIS in motion, he jumped forward to the next morning so he could enter the corporate headquarters as a visitor. He was prepared with several excuses and identities ready in his mind so he could be able to get past the front desk security.

Samantha meanwhile was now home and feeling relaxed. Although her mind kept going back to the dark haired man who had introduced himself as 'Curristan'. His kindness had been a great boost after the dull and stressful day she had endured. It had been the first real kindness for some time. She went to sleep that night with a smile on her face, waking with a renewed outlook on life and a hope she would meet him again so she could thank him.

Moving through the crowd towards the corporate headquarters Curristan looked up and saw the huge sign which adorned the huge structure: _''Hydrox Corporation – Fighting for Galenta's future and well being'_.

Nodding in understanding he moved into the lobby, making sure that looked like any other visitor which came into the building. The morning rush hour seemed to be in full swing and the people entering the building was currently a torrent. Slipping through towards the reception desk he could see a pretty brunette on the desk. _'Time to show the Curristan charm'_ he joked to himself.

As she approached the woman looked up. _"Hello there welcome to Hydrox Corporation .How can I be of assistance?"_

"_Hello I am here to give a surprise safety inspection"_ he replied smoothly, flashing a smile.

Immediately she perked up. _"Of course this a shock. I am afraid I need the authorisation."_

Thinking fast he made like he was searching his pockets. _"Seems like I misplaced it. Can we overlook it this one time? I wont take too long." _

Furrowing her brows she seemed to be in thought for a moment before a coy smile broke out. In a teasing tone she stated "Sure just this one time, I can buy you ten minutes then you will have to leave. Hope you will take me for a drink for this favour."

"_Haha sure, I will. Thanks for this, I will remember next time."_

Handing over a pass she pointed to a nearby control gate. _"That leads into the maintenance area. Use this on all access gates and show any security that ask for identification."_

Nodding and pocketing the pass Curristan lifted a hand, which was received with another smile.

–

Sam was just arriving at work early just to get a head start on her projects. Then as she approached the security area she took a quick glance. Something suddenly caught her stopping with a start.

_'What the hell is he doing here? Is he part of the company?'_ flashed through her mind and she spied Curristan passing through the maintenance area security control gate.

Her mind was whirling with confusion and she needed answers. Acting on an impulse she decided to follow as she still had a good hour before she was actually due to start. She needed to know.

–

Curristan had walked through the maintenance area and his suspicion had been piqued with the sight of so many armed guards and security checkpoints he was passing through. Something was definitely up somehow.

After a few minutes he could suddenly feel he had a tail. Looking discretely back he realised that it was Sam who was following him.

_'Ah interesting, we have a curious one here. I know that there was at least one intelligent person on this planet. I need to lead her into a quiet area so I can ambush her and get some information of my own.'_

Moving quickly he turned left and moved into a storage area, waiting just inside the shadows.

–

Sam was frustrated. She had lost the trail of where Curristan had gone. This corridors seemed all the same to her and there was an element that soon she was going to be missed as she wasn't at her desk/ Looking at her watch she realised that she had still twenty five minutes until she needed to log in. Then suddenly a noise off her left in a nearby storage room brought her out of her thoughts.

After a moments hesitation, she moved into the room. Then suddenly a hand went over her mouth before she was spun around, straight into the curious and amused face of Curristan.

–

"_Well Sam it looks like you found me. I see that you are more intelligent and observant than the rest of the people here."_

Despite being angry and being grabbed she blushed at the compliment. Then she responded. _"What the hell are you doing here? Are you with the company?"_

"_No my dear I am not. I am a traveller and I have suspicions that Hydrox Corporation isn't what its making itself out to be. I fear that something bad is happening."_

Sam narrowed her eye and with a confused tone blurted "_What do you mean something bad is happening? It seems so normal around here, a normal place. What do you base this theory on?"_

"_Just a bad feeling, it seems too normal and there is so much security even for a main office. There are way too many security checkpoints and armed guards even for a major headquarters of a major company such as Hydrox Corporation..."_


	4. Revealing Hydrox Schemes

Curristan had a bad gut feeling. He also felt bad for Sam who was now for better or worse deeply involved in his covert investigation. He now had to deal with this new complication, somehow. Sighing he turned to Sam.

"_Right now I need to explain some things to you. First Hydrox isn't what you think. There is something going on. There is something I need to stop before it causes problems for the planet. Any questions?"_

"_I have many but the main question is, how will you stop them?"_

"_I need to figure what they are doing first!"_ he stated teasingly.

Huffing Sam responded snappily _"No need to take that tone with me!"_

"_Sorry Sam, I just wanted to have some fun. Right lets go."_

Walking away Curristan could hear Sam slowly trying to keep up. He knew that if he looked closely he could figure out what was going on. The feeling of joy and wonder he had which he hadn't felt since before the Time War was something he was for now unwilling to let go. He had a mystery and it was something he was looking forward to finding out what it was.

After what seemed ages of walking through corridors Sam spoke.

"_I had no idea in all the years working here that these areas existed before..."_

"_Mmmm yes all these big corporations always have their deep and dark secrets"_ Curristan mused quietly.

"_They always like to hide things in the shadows, but it just needs someone to throw some light on it and expose them."_

Making a humming noise of understanding Sam nodded. _"Ahh that makes sense."_

They kept walking, making sure they made no noise and every time they approached a security camera, Curristan used his sonic screwdriver to jam them until they passed. There was no need to destroy them as that would advertise the fact they were in the restricted area. Finally they arrived at a locked door.

"_Well, well what have we here?"_

Scanning the lock with the sonic screwdriver he realised that this was a high security lock. Then suddenly he heard voices.

"_Well our project is nearing completion sir, we need to advance the timetable..."_

"_Quickly over there Sam!"_ Curristan whispered in alarm, leading her to a dark alcove which they could see the approaching people.

After several moments two men arrived at the security door. One was a blonde haired man in a double breasted blue suit, while the other was a brown haired man in a white jumpsuit and carrying what seemed a data pad of some kind.

Curristan noted that the guy in the suit seemed to be the one in charge. The other guy looked to be maybe his scientific advisor? He wasn't sure to be honest. The main thing was he was now in a position to overhear what this conspiracy was and he wasn't going to pass the opportunity up. Then the suited man spoke.

"_It looks like that our planned timetable will move swifter than even I thought. Then when the government inevitably bows to our demands the world will be then ours to control...we will be able to direct the path of Galenta for years to come and build an empire that will last for thousands of years!"_

"_Yes sir. The toxin is now in final stages of development. Against the test subjects it has been most effective with a nine in ten death rate. If deployed against any population the effects will be devastating."_

"_Excellent Watkins. I am very pleased with your progress. Move to the final stage. Its time for the plan to reach its conclusion.."_


	5. Revelation and Resolution

Curristan furrowed his brow and felt Sam shift uncomfortably. Turning to her, he immediately sought to reassure her.

"_Look there is definitely something going on and you need to stay hidden."_

Sam glowered indignantly and in a rising voice stated _"No I am staying with you Curristan."_ She immediately covered her mouth realising her mistake. Then the suited man spoke again in a very menacing tone.

"_I can hear you, come right out now. You are caught and now show yourself."_

Curristan immediately took the lead. _"Okay, okay we are coming out. I want to chat with you anyway."_

Walking out of the alcove Curristan and Sam faced the two men.

"_Well well we have two intruders. Saunders you are dismissed, bring a guard to help me deal with these intruders."_

As the now named Saunders passed through the security door to carry out the order, the suited man turned and smiled.

"_My name is Halran Deltis and I am CEO of Hydrox. I am aware the lady is an employee, but I have no idea about your sir. You both are?"_

Curristan looked at Sam who nodded. _"My name is Curristan from Gallifrey. This lady is called Sam."_

"_Nice to meet you both...now I wonder what to with you."_

Haldran Deltis hummed. _"Well I think that as suppose you heard that conversation, I had better elaborate to sate your curiosity. The plan is to...bring our vision to the world. The carrot so to speak is the future prosperity of the world, setting Hydrox as protector of that future. However it has to be on my terms, so the stick I will use is a fast acting toxin which if my demands are not met, to be used on the population."_

"_Thats monstrous!"_ Curristan spitting in disgust and shaking his head. _"You can just take power legally through the political system." _He at the same time slid his sonic screwdriver into his right hand, making sure it could not be seen.

Luckily as he finished speaking the door opened and a guard approached.

Haldran Deltis laughing reponded _"Right I have no time to wait for that...now you two follow us."_

Obliging Curristan and Sam followed, making sure that they didn't cause any excuse for them to be shot.

However Curristan was looking for a way to deal with the new imminent threat. As they approached a corridor Haldran Deltis stopped them and raised his hand at the bulletproof screen.

"_Look at this, that is the laboratory that makes the toxin. There is enough for the need for a whole planet deployment if I so desire it happen. However you won't live to see the prosperous future this project will create."_

Keeping one ear on his chattering, Curristan was adjusting his sonic screwdriver in his pocket taking the lax attitude of the guard who was looking for some reason at the glass himself. Curristan at the same time moved Sam closer to the wall and away from the window and nearby heat vent.

"_Well I suppose its time to end this."_

"_Oh you are so right"_ Curristan confirmed, activating the sonic screwdriver to overload the processing area and throwing Sam to the ground as he dived for cover. The explosion that resulted just a second later raced outwards, the blast punching violently right through the window where Haldran Deltis and the guard were standing.

Pulling Sam to her feet he screamed _"We need to run!"_

As they ran the way they came through the now disabled security door, they felt the heat of the explosion which was now punching through the facility around them.

Finding an emergency lift platform and a flourish of his sonic screwdriver, Curristan had managed to save himself and Sam from the firestorm which was now out of control below. As they reached the public area once again, they witnessed the evacuation of the building of all its workers as alarms sounded. Wordlessly they both followed out into the plaza, just as a huge rumble rocked the area.

Sam in some fatigue finally spoke. _"At least we got out safely.."_

Suddenly a burst of flame from part of the building, signifying the explosion finally reaching the surface. Everyone stood in shock apart from Sam as the building disappeared in fire and smoke.

Sam then turned around to speak to Curristan but he had vanished.

_'Where have you gone?' _Sam could only think in confusion.


	6. Sam's Offer

The Hydrox Headquarters was now a heaped ruin with flames eating away at the structure. Smoke billowed into the air punctuated by intermittent explosions as the building slowly crumbled to the ground. Loud sirens filled the air and the crowd coming to see the event was growing fast as word spread.

Sam slowly picked her way through the crowd, slightly overwhelmed by her experience. The reality of the situation was now dawning on her and the she was jobless had crossed her mind. Though for now she was more concerned with finding Curristan and getting answers to her myriad of questions she had thought of.

After several minutes walking she finally heard a familiar voice.

"_Oh finally you got through that crowd my dear Sam."_

Spinning round Sam looked into the green eyes of Curristan.

"_Well I hope you are feeling okay my dear. Hydrox sadly is no more but at least the planet is now safe."_

Sam smiled. _"I am fine though now I have no idea what to do now. Thanks to that explosion."_

"_Weeellll, you could come with me if you would like?"_

"_Yes! Most definitely yes!"_ Sam exclaimed with excited massive grin splitting her face.

"_Well then what are we waiting for lets go."_

Entering into the TARDIS Sam looked in wonder and absolutely speechless at the sight of the console room. She had felt pretty happy that they had managed to get out of the situation without them getting killed, but this was amazing. She could see Curristan moving around and interacting with the console.

"_Welcome to the TARDIS Sam, I hope that we can build a good friendship. Now then are you ready?"_

At Sam's hum of acknowledgement Curristan pulled the Helmic Regulator, setting the TARDIS into motion...


End file.
